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Task Force results from January 18 & 19 Meetings
Arranged by Subcommittee Hatcheries Subcommittee Senator Ben Stevens, Chair
Task Force Actions: 1. An Act relating to the rate of the salmon enhancement tax.
Governance Subcommittee Representative Carl Morgan, Co-chair
Representative Paul Seaton, Co-chair
Task Force Actions:
This legislation was not passed by Task
Force. A subcommittee was assigned to pursue the topic of Co-ops with Board
of Fisheries and Alaska Department of Fish and Game representatives, and
report back to Salmon Task Force on March 28, 2004. 2. A Resolution relating to salmon harvesting cooperatives.
3. "A Resolution relating to the support of fisheries education, training, and research and encouraging collaborative efforts between the state, the University of Alaska, and other educational institutions to provide fisheries education programs."
OTHER GOVERNANCE ISSUES 1. Senate Bill 69 (current) An Act relating to participation in matters before the Board of Fisheries by members of the board; and providing for an effective date. The subcommittee recommends that SB 69 should be amended to distinguish between the differing conflicts on interest as those relate to lobbying interests and participatory interests.
2. Senate Bill 70 (current) An Act relating to the emergency order authority of the commissioner of fish and game and to meetings of the Board of Fisheries. The subcommittee addressed questions concerning the authority of the Commissioner of Fish and Game and the Board of Fisheries, and these questions were answered in a December 4, 2003 memo from Legislative Legal (click here for memo).
Production Subcommittee
Representative Bill Williams, Chair
Task Force Actions: 1. An Act relating to the reduction of the number of limited entry permits in a commercial fishery to the optimum number without establishing a buy-back program.
2. An Act relating to the maximum length of salmon seine vessels; and providing for an effective date.
3.An Act relating to the administration of commercial fishing entry permit buy-back programs.
Marketing/Quality Subcommittee Senator Gary Stevens, Co-chair
Senator Kim Elton, Co-chair
Task Force Actions: 1. An Act relating to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, the seafood marketing tax, and the seafood product tax; repealing the seafood marketing assessment; and providing for an effective date.
2. An Act relating to direct marketing fisheries businesses, to the fisheries business tax, and to liability for payment of taxes and assessments on the sale or transfer of fishery resources; and providing for an effective date.
3. An Act relating to the identification of finfish in food products and to the misbranding of food products consisting of or containing finfish.
4. An Act relating to labeling and identification of genetically modified fish and fish products.
Finance Subcommittee Representative Dan Ogg, Chair
Task Force Actions: 1.Requesting the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Labor to extend Trade Adjustment Assistance benefits to Alaska fishermen; requesting the United States Congress and the United States Department of Agriculture to extend additional disaster and price support benefits to Alaska salmon fishermen; and requesting the United States Department of Agriculture to establish terminal markets in Alaska for all covered commodities including salmon.
2. An Act relating to regional seafood development associations and to regional seafood development tax.
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